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Increased protection urgently needed for tunas

7/7/2011

Global Assessment Warns of "Serious" Situation For World's Wild Tuna Stocks; 5 of 8 Species Now Threatened or Near Threatened with Extinction

Gland, Switzerland / Washington DC, U.S. — For the first time, all species of
scombrids (tunas, bonitos, mackerels and Spanish mackerels) and billfishes
(swordfish and marlins) have been assessed for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. Of the
61 known species, seven are classified in a threatened category, being at
serious risk of extinction. Four species are listed as Near Threatened and
nearly two-thirds have been placed in the Least Concern category.

The results show that the situation is particularly serious for tunas. Five
of the eight species of tuna are in the threatened or Near Threatened IUCN Red
List Categories. These include: Southern Bluefin (Thunnus
maccoyii), Critically Endangered; Atlantic Bluefin (T.
thynnus), Endangered; Bigeye (T. obesus), Vulnerable;
Yellowfin (T. albacares), Near Threatened; and Albacore
(T. alalunga), Near Threatened.

These assessments are a part of the Global Marine Species Assessment (GMSA)
project, a joint initiative of IUCN and Conservation International. Since its
inception in 2005, the GMSA mission has been to provide more than 20,000 marine
species assessments for inclusion on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

“This is the first time that fishery scientists, ichthyologists and
conservationists have come together to jointly produce an assessment of the
threats facing a commercially important group of fishes,” says Dr Bruce
B. Collette, Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission’s
(SSC) Tuna and Billfish Specialist Group, Senior Scientist of the U.S National
Marine Fisheries Service, and lead author of the paper.

There is growing concern that in spite of the healthy status of several
epipelagic fish stocks (those living near the surface), some scombrid and
billfish species are being heavily overfished, and there is a lack of resolve to
protect against overexploitation driven by high prices. Many populations are
exploited by multinational fisheries whose regulation, from a political
perspective, is exceedingly difficult.

“All three bluefin tuna species are susceptible to collapse under continued
excessive fishing pressure. The Southern Bluefin has already essentially
crashed, with little hope of recovery,” says Dr Kent Carpenter,
Professor at Old Dominion University, manager of IUCN’s Marine Biodiversity
Unit and an author of the paper. “If no changes are made to current
fishing practices, the western Atlantic Bluefin stocks are at risk of collapse
as they are showing little sign that the population is rebuilding following a
significant reduction in the 1970s.”

Three species of billfishes are in threatened or Near Threatened categories:
Blue Marlin (Makaira nigricans), Vulnerable; White
Marlin (Kajikia albida), Vulnerable; and Striped Marlin
(Kajikia audax), Near Threatened.

Most of the long-lived economically valuable species are considered
threatened. They mature later than short-lived species and their reproductive
turnover is longer, and as such recovery from population declines takes more
time. As these scombrids and billfishes are at the top of the pelagic food web,
population reductions of these predators may cause significant negative effects
on other species that are critical to the balance of the marine ecosystem and
that are economically important as a source of food.

The future of threatened scombrids and billfishes rests on the ability of
RFMOs and fishing nations to properly manage these species. Southern and
Atlantic Bluefin populations have been so reduced that the most efficient way to
avoid collapse is to shut down the fisheries until stocks are rebuilt to healthy
levels. However, this would cause substantial economic hardship and hinder the
ability of RFMOs to control fishing because of the increased incentive for
illegal fishing that would be created under these circumstances.

“Temporarily shutting down tuna fisheries would only be a part of a much
needed recovery programme. In order to prevent illegal fishing, strong
deterrents need to be implemented,” says Jean-Christophe Vié, Deputy
Director, IUCN’s Global Species Programme. “This new study shows that
there is an urgent need for effective management. Scientific findings should not
be discarded in order to maintain short-term profit. Marine life and jobs for
future generations are both at stake.”

"This study is a wake-up call for the international organizations responsible
for the management of tuna stocks", said Dr. Andrew Rosenberg Chief
Scientist for Conservation International. "The fact that several stocks
of high value species like bluefin tuna have become threatened or are now in
danger of extinction while under international management means that we must do
a better job of protecting our ocean resources."

The recovery of fish stocks is possible through reducing fishing-induced
mortality rates to well below the maximum sustainable yield (MSY), as shown in
the case of the highly valued eastern population of the Atlantic Bluefin.
Recently exploited at three times the MSY, a decrease in the total allowable
catch and stricter monitoring and compliance measures have led to recent catch
reductions of almost 75% over the past few years. This will enable the species
to recover to sustainable levels as long as the current fishing controls are
maintained.

Notes to editorsCopies of the Science paper “High Value
and Long-Lived: Double Jeopardy for Tuna and Billfishes” may be obtained from
the AAAS Office of Public Programs. Please contact +1-202-326-6440 or scipack@aaas.org

The tuna and billfish assessmentsThe tuna and billfish
assessments are a part of the Global Marine Species
Assessment’s mission to complete more than 20,000 marine species assessments
for inclusion on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The Global Marine
Species Assessment Unit (GMSA), or Marine Biodiversity Unit, is a joint
initiative of IUCN and Conservation International. The GMSA is headquartered in
the Department of Biology at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, and
is largely enabled by the generous support of the New Hampshire Charitable
Foundation and Tom Haas.

To complete the tuna and billfish IUCN Red List assessments, the GMSA
collaborated with a wide diversity of international scientists who represent
Fisheries Management Organizations, international conservation organizations;
government agencies, universities, and independent fisheries research
institutions. IUCN Red List Workshops and finalization of results for tunas and
billfishes were made possible by the generous support of Tom Haas and the New
Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Conservation International, Lenfest Ocean
Program, International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, International Game
Fish Association, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade,
Academia Sinica, Taiwan Marine National Park Headquarters, Instituto del Mar del
Perú, and CIMAR- University of Costa Rica.

Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable:
species threatened with global extinctionNear Threatened: species close to
the threatened thresholds or that would be threatened without ongoing specific
conservation measures

Least Concern: species evaluated with a lower
risk of extinction

Data Deficient: no assessment because of
insufficient data

Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct): this is
not a new IUCN Red List Category, but is a flag developed to identify those
Critically Endangered species that are in all probability already Extinct but
for which confirmation is required, for example, through more extensive surveys
being carried out and failing to find any individuals.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ (or the
IUCN Red List) is the world’s most comprehensive information source on the
global conservation status of plant, fungi and animal species. It is based on an
objective system for assessing the risk of extinction of a species should no
conservation action be taken.

Species are assigned to one of eight categories of threat based on whether
they meet criteria linked to population trend, population size and structure and
geographic range. Species listed as Critically Endangered, Endangered or
Vulnerable are collectively described as ‘Threatened’.

The IUCN Red List is not just a register of names and associated threat
categories. It is a rich compendium of information on the threats to the
species, their ecological requirements, where they live, and information on
conservation actions that can be used to reduce or prevent extinctions.

The IUCN Red List is a joint effort between IUCN and its Species Survival
Commission, working with its Red List partners BirdLife International; Botanic
Gardens Conservation International; Conservation International; NatureServe;
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Sapienza University of Rome; Texas A&M
University; Wildscreen; and Zoological Society of London.

About IUCNIUCN, the International Union for Conservation
of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing
environment and development challenges by supporting scientific research;
managing field projects all over the world; and bringing governments, NGOs, the
UN, international conventions and companies together to develop policy, laws and
best practice.

The world's oldest and largest global environmental network, IUCN is a
democratic membership union with more than 1,000 government and NGO member
organizations, and almost 11,000 volunteer scientists and experts in some 160
countries. IUCN's work is supported by over 1,000 professional staff in 60
offices and hundreds of partners in public, NGO and private sectors around the
world. IUCN's headquarters are located in Gland, near Geneva, in Switzerland.
www.iucn.org

About the Species Survival CommissionThe Species
Survival Commission (SSC) is the largest of IUCN’s six volunteer commissions
with a global membership of around 7500 experts. SSC advises IUCN and its
members on the wide range of technical and scientific aspects of species
conservation, and is dedicated to securing a future for biodiversity. SSC has
significant input into the international agreements dealing with biodiversity
conservation.

About Conservation InternationalBuilding upon a strong
foundation of science, partnership and field demonstration, Conservation
International empowers societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature,
our global biodiversity, for the long term well-being of people. Founded in
1987, CI has headquarters in the Washington, DC area, and nearly 900 employees
working in more than 30 countries on four continents, plus 1,000+ partners
around the world. For more information, visit www.conservation.org and follow us
on Twitter: @ConservationOrg or Facebook:
www.facebook.com/conservation.intl

About Old Dominion UniversityOld Dominion University is
Virginia's forward-focused, public doctoral research university for
high-performing students from around the world. The university has 26 research
centers and a total enrollment of 24,000 students.http://www.odu.edu

About Lenfest Ocean ProgramThe Lenfest Ocean Program
supports scientific research aimed at forging solutions to the challenges facing
the global marine environment. The program was established in 2004 by the
Lenfest Foundation and is managed by the Pew Environment Group.